USA relay third

Posted: July 25, 2011

Daily News Wire Services

Michael Phelps got off to a losing start at the swimming world championships, and it wasn't his fault. He put his teammates in second place on the opening leg of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. They just couldn't move up.

Phelps, kicking off the first of his seven events at the 8-day meet in Shanghai, led off a stunning bronze-medal showing in the relay yesterday at the Oriental Sports Center. It was the first time since 2007 that the American men lost a relay of any kind at worlds or the Olympics.

"It's frustrating," he said. "It's not how we want to start it."

They were upset by the Australians, who won in 3 minutes, 11.00 seconds.

France took the silver in 3:11.14 and the U.S. team of Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Jason Lezak and Nathan Adrian earned the bronze in 3:11.96.

Sport stops

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren won a hard-fought German Grand Prix in Nuerburgring, fending off challenges from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber of Red Bull for his second victory of the season . . . Will Power won the Edmonton Indy, taking a bite out of the points lead of reigning series champion Dario Franchitti.

Uruguay won the Copa America soccer title for a record 15th time, beating Paraguay, 3-0, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Stacy May-Johnson hit a grand slam and Christi Orgeron had a three-run double in a 10-run fourth inning, and the United States advanced to the World Cup of Softball championship game by beating Great Britain, 10-0, in Oklahoma City.

Gilles Simon became the first Frenchman in 25 years to win the German Open, beating Nicolas Almagro of Spain, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, in Hamburg.